1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for navigating electronic media. The present invention allows the browser to browse through the nested categorization structure before committing to invoke a link to call for particular content pages listed under a particular category. In the prior art, only one level of categories can be view in one category listing webpage. The next level's categories under any particular category at that level is accessed by invoking the link-token of the category by clicking on the category title, and download the next page where the next level category titles are listed. This results in loading many intermediary pages, going back and forth to search for the interested category and the related content.
The present invention also relates to a dynamic tracking-string/tracking-device that embeds the category browsing apparatus. Thus allowing browsers to dynamically examine and pursue other browsing paths, and to arrive at new destination content with a single mouse click and a single page-download. The present invention enables the browser to return to, or arrive at any page at any previous or forward-branching point at any categorical level, from any page at any level of the categorization structure.
2. Description of Related Art
The application of hyper text mark up language (HTML), scripting languages, such as Java, Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Practical Extraction and Report Language (PERL), Visual Basic Script Language, VB (Visual Basic) Script, and derivatives thereof, other languages, markup languages, or meta-languages, such as the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML-ISO 8879), eXtensible Markup Language (XML), Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), and Java Speech Markup Language (JSML), allows the static and dynamic linking of computer stored objects (texts, graphics, icons, parts, items, lists, audio and video segments, etc.) from a container of objects to related information and/or other objects and containers via software link-tokens. A link-token is an addressing pointer, pointing to the memory location of the link destination). A link-token is usually represented by an underline, bolded text-string or a symbol, a bullet, an icon, a graphical thumbnail, a graphical text-string or a symbol etc., and can only be invoked one at a time from each electronic media “page,” An electronic media “page” has a single and unique URL (Universal Resource Locator) address. It can physically be less, equal to, or more than one or many conventional 8½″ by 11″ printed paper page.
When a link-token associated with a particular object is selected and invoked, for example, by clicking a computer “mouse” button while the pointer is resting at the object, the destination object that is linked by this particular link-token is brought forth from the database or memory bank in the connected storage media addressed by the link-token, and presented for viewing or examination by browsers, i.e., humans, devices, or computer software.
However, on each predefined page of such electronic media where many objects and link-tokens are present, only one link-token can be invoked (clicked) at a time from one web-page to bring forth the particular web-page addressed by the particular link-token invoked. If additional objects from the starting page are of interest, one must return to that page, with as many click-and-waits on the “back” button, as the browser has already clicked forward on the current path. Once back there, only one single selection of links can be made and “clicked” to bring forth the next level content page linked. Moving forward and backward between pages of media linked by the link-tokens in this manner is a slow and labor-intensive procedure.
The viewing and examination of such electronic media is organized by categories. Only the top-level categories and at some instances, some of the associated second level categories are listed on the first actionable starting page, the home-page. From any page that lists multiple category titles for selection, only one category title can be selected, and only one action can be made: to bring forth the one page that particular category title points to, usually the next level categories listed under that particular category title.
The information the browser actually desires to view is often several levels away. The browser thus make one click on one category at a time, loading one page listing the next level of category titles, and repeating the process until the desired category is finally reached to be clicked and linked to the content page. The trade-off that can be made is between the number of categories listed at the same level, versus how many levels of categorization.
Some websites list the first level of categories on the home-page, and the next level categories under each first level category on their respective subsequent linked page. The third level categories under each 2nd-level categories are listed in the respective subsequent third level page, and so forth. A browser must follow a certain category path by common sense over several click-and-wait path. If the path yields no desirable result for information sought, or if the browser wishes to examine another category branch several links and levels back, the browser must return to that branching level, repeat the process until the interested information is located and reached.
To track the browsing path and facilitate returning to the previous pages along the browsing path, some websites list in a string the URL link titles along the browsing path, and requires the browser to click and download a web page along the path to view a sub-category listing under that particular category along the current browsing path. To examine the sub-categories under another category at that same level, the browser must find, select and click that category, and download a web page that lists its sub-categories, and so forth. Examining many categories at the same level and branching to other paths with the prior art would require clicking forward and backward numerous times, and each time waiting for a page to download.
The state-of-the art of category-assisted browsing and the tracking scheme from the most advanced sites are described in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5. While these various category-assisted browsing schemes are superior than most other smaller or lesser sites in that they all attempt to reduce the number of total levels the viewers/browsers much click-through and download to reach the intended content, they all trade off between having a larger number of categories at each level to reduce the number of levels a browser must click through. Each of these schemes also in someway presents a select partial listing of the next level categories under each current level category. As shown in FIGS. 1B1 through 1B2, ebaY.com combines the 2nd and the 3rd levels immediately after a primary category on the home-page is clicked. As shown in FIG. 2A, Yahoo lists the primary (1st) level categories arrayed across the home-page, and a small number of selected 2nd level categories listed under each primary level category. As shown on the left side of FIG. 3A, Homeportfolio, a state-of-the-art site showcasing high-end home furnishing products, uses a combination of minimizing the number of levels (by increasing the number of categories in each level), as well as giving an option for “category search,” where the entire unstructured category titles can be linearly alphabetically scrolled through a small viewing box. As shown in FIG. 4A, AOL.com lists 1st and 2nd level categories on the home-page, with a small number of first level categories, and a large number of 2nd level categories in a column format. As shown in FIG. 5A, Spiegel, a department store website, lists the primary “shopping” categories on the left-most column of its shopping page. As shown in FIG. 5B, the 2nd level category titles of a particular primary category title would appear under the category when it is selected and clicked. The remaining primary level category titles are pushed lower on the column. The detailed mechanisms of these schemes are described in the following sections.
ebaY.com's category browsing is illustrated in FIGS. 1A through 1D. The home-page is shown in FIG. 1A, with primary (first level) categories listed on the left side of the page. As an example, we selected the “Collectibles” category, by using the mouse to move the cursor to rest at that text-string. The only thing one can do after that is to click the left mouse button to commit to the selection, which brings forth FIG. 1B1, a 6 physical-page length listing of the next two levels of categories under “Collectibles.” The list is alphabetically arranged, first column on the left downward from “A” on FIG. 1B1. The second column begins with “H” on FIG. 1B1. The list is very large and requires considerable effort to view or to comprehend. However, the number of levels is minimized, so that it does not become too annoying to the browser to have to click and download too many times to reach the desired category. The gain is obtained at the cost of cramming an incomprehensibly large number of category titles at each level, and an even larger number of content items under each category title. As an example, we click on the 3rd level “Golden Age” category under the second level “Comic Books” category on FIG. 1B42. The download result is shown on FIG. 1C, which contains the next level (4th) categories: “General,” “Superhero,” “Crime,” “Horror/Sci-Fi,” and “Funny Animals;” a list of 8 “featured items,” and a long list of 2620 Golden Age Comic Books, which takes more than 52 web-pages (as indicated on FIG. 1C) to display.
ebaY.com's “tracking-string/tracking-device” is shown at around one quarter down from the top of this first physical page of the first web-page from the more than 52 consecutive web-pages listing the items under the “Golden Age” sub-category of the “Comic Books” category. The tracking-string/tracking-device is as the following: “Top: Collectibles: Comic Books Golden Age,” with “Current Auction” under the string. The “Top” contains a link to return to the home-page FIG. 1A. The “Collectibles” contains the link to return to the “Collectibles” page, FIG. 1B1. The “Comic Books” contains the link to return to the Comic Books page. The “Golden Age” is the current page, thus unlinked.
We then click the “General” category on this page (listings under the Golden Age category), and parsed the 2626 item list down to a 1360 item list that still will take more than 28 web-pages to display as shown on FIG. 1D1.
Yahoo.com's category browsing scheme is illustrated in FIG. 2A. The primary (first) level categories and a few selected 2nd level and occasionally 3rd level categories under each primary category are shown on the homepage in FIG. 2A. For example, under “Business & Economy” category, three sub-categories: Companies (2nd level), Finance (2nd level), and jobs (3rd level) are listed. By clicking on “Business & Economy” category, one brings the link-destination page, with 36 second-level category titles listed under “Business & Economy.”Clicking on the “Employment & Work” (2nd level) sub-category, the destination page is brought forth, listing 28 third level categories. Clicking on the “Jobs,” 3rd level category brings the link-destination page, listing the 6 sub-categories (4th level), and Internet job sites. Clicking on the “Company job Listings” brings a listing of 358 links to company job sites in alphabetical order. The “tracking-string/tracking-device” is presented only on the very top of the 1st physical page of this very long web-page. The tracking-string/tracking-device reads: “Home>Business and Economy>Employment and Work>Jobs.” The 2nd line of the tracking-string/tracking-device indicates the current page category title: “Company Job Listings.” A browser can click on the “Employment and Work” link on the tracking-string/tracking-device to return to that category page, and select another sub-category, for example, the “Career Fields,” by placing the mouse on “Career Fields,” and click the mouse button. A page would be brought forth from the remote site-server to show an alphabetically ordered list of career fields. Clicking on “Financial Service” downloads a listing of the next 5 sub-categories. Clicking on “Individual Resumes” downloads a three-physical-page web-page showing 79 names of individuals who post their resumes under the “Financial Services” category, and the links to the resumes.
Similarly, in Shopping.Yahoo.com a “Kitchen Appliances” category is reached after 4 clicks and 4 page-downloads, showing the 29 fifth level categories. There are yet at least two more clicks and two more page-downloads to reach specific information of a desired item.
The Homeportfolio.com's category browsing is illustrated in FIGS. 3A through 3HB. The shortened “quick start” category list is given on the mid-left section of the home-page as shown in FIG. 3A. An unstructured category list is accessible via the small “category search” box located at the end of the content on the left side of the home-page. When the downward triangle on the right side of the small box is clicked, a somewhat longer box with a scroll bar appears, with an alphabetical listing of category titles. Scrolling the scroll bar causes the long category list of 158 titles as shown on FIG. 3B to slide by the “box” for viewing. When the correct category is found, a click on the category would bring the web-page containing the items listed under that particular category onto the display screen from the remote site-server. The Homeportfolio method enables the browser to pick an exact category from the start, so that a page containing the items under that category can be reached without many steps of downloading category-listing pages. However, to examine the unstructured list of 158 category titles by scrolling the list through a small window, can not be said to be less annoying than having to download several hierarchical category-listing pages, one-level at-a-time. To illustrate the hierarchical category browsing, we click the mouse button when the cursor is rested on the “Furniture and Home Furnishing” category as shown in FIG. 3A. A “product explorer” web-page is downloaded from the Homeportfolio remote site-server, containing two types of category titles. Moving the cursor to the “Living & Family Room” category and clicking on the mouse-button downloads a page listing the eight 2nd level category titles. Clicking on the “Furniture” category title on this page causes listing of the 14 sub-categories under “Furniture.” Clicking on the “Coffee Table” category on this page brings a list of the number of Coffee Tables present on the site from each manufacturer. There are 4 pages of the 96 item Coffee Table thumbnail list. The enlarged graphics and detail descriptions are viewed one at a time. Graphical thumbnails are small images frequently used in on-line or other computer viewable recording media (such as CDROM) to represent objects that are best represented by images. The thumbnail and the underlined text-title represent the same link that links the thumbnail and the text title to the larger graphics and the more detailed descriptions of the item.
America On Line, AOL.Com's category assisted navigation is shown in FIG. 4A. The AOL home-page shown in FIG. 4A has four primary categories: Web Centers, Shortcuts, Shopping, and Community. The next level categories are accessible and organized under these primary categories in four columns. Each of the primary categories also has a link token that links to a page listing the 2nd-level sub-categories shown in the home page, along with some other advertising and promotional information. Clicking on any of the categories listed in the “SHOP BY CATEGORY” section, download a page listing logos and banners with links to the on-line stores linked to AOL under that category and a repeat of the “SHOP BY CATEGORY” section.
To illustrate AOL's process, we move the cursor to “Apparel,” and click on the left button of the mouse. The action brings a page containing banners of various AOL linked on-line stores selling apparel products. Each banner has a link-token linking to the store's independent web-site off the AOL.Com site. Using the mouse to slide the cursor to the “Harold's” banner, and clicking on the left button of the mouse, causes a page to be downloaded to the browser screen from the “Harolds.Com” site-server. Harold's categorization scheme takes over from that point. To find clothes to buy, one needs to click on the “shop now” link A new page is downloaded to the browser's computer from the site-server, and the Harold's shopping categories are shown. If the shopper is looking for men's clothes, move the cursor to “MEN′S” category, and click the mouse button. A new page is downloaded from Harold's site-server. If “Sportcoats” is of interest, bring the cursor there, and click the mouse button, then thumbnails of three selections are shown. To see any one of the three selections, one must move the cursor and click the mouse button again, on one, and only one of the three selections. If the cursor is moved to the black sports coat show on the top, and the mouse button clicked, a web page is downloaded to the screen from the site-server. If the shopper wants to see another one of the three selections, the cursor must be moved to the “Back” icon on the browser frame, and the mouse button clicked to bring back the page with the three selections and the process repeated.
If the shopper decides that none of the three sports coats catches his fancy, and wishes to see some other stores, the best thing for him to do is to enter www.aol.com into the “Go to” box on the browser frame at the top of the screen, to return to the AOL home-page. It would require too many clicking on the “Back” icon, and much waiting between each click for the downloading of the intermediary pages, to return to the “Apparel” page. To explore the AOL process further, let us move the cursor to “Auctions” or “Department Stores” under “Shopping.” A web-page is downloaded from the AOL site-server, with banners of various on-line auction or department store sites, and the “SHOP BY CATEGORY” section on the lower half of the page listing the primary shopping categories. Each banner represents a shopping site linked to, but off the AOL site. When a banner is clicked, the browser exits AOL site and begins downloading the home-page of the particular site the clicked-banner is linked. The category structure is that of the banner site, independent of AOL, such as Harolds.com store and of the Spiegel.com store.
Spiegel.com shown in FIG. 5A, a well acknowledged on-line department store listed in AOL Shopping's “Department Stores” category, uses only two category-levels for its on-line shopping functions. The left column shown in FIG. 5A of the web pages is used as a partition to list its first level categories and the 2nd level categories of a selected first category. The second level category under a specific category appears, when that specific category is “clicked.” As shown in FIG. 5B. If another 1st level category is subsequently clicked, the first set of second level categories disappears, and the new set appears under the subsequently clicked category. The number of each set of the 2nd level categories is large, but not as large as that of some of the ebaY.com's categories. There is no third level category under the 2nd level categories. For example, when the “Accessories” (or “Fine Jewelry”) category is clicked, the web-page containing all merchandise categorized under “Accessories” or (“Fine Jewelry) is downloaded. Clicking on a thumbnail downloads the larger picture and detailed description of the item. This scheme functions reasonably well when the number of items under each 2nd level category is not large. Ideally, in a fully functioning on-line department store, there should be hundreds or thousands of items in the “Accessories” category, making sub-categorization under “Accessories” a necessity. In such situations, the Spiegel scheme is not usable. As the site is further reviewed, it is found that there are invariably very few items under each second level category.